In Celebration
by kateBA
Summary: Goren and Eames are in the tenth year of their partnership. Bobby forgets an important marriage anniversary and Alex wonders why he forgot and why he is behaving so suspiciously. Is there something his wife needs to know? Alex will be surprised.


**In Celebration**

**By:** KateBA

**Disclaimer:** _Law and Order Criminal Intent_ and all associated characters are properties of Dick Wolf and NBC Universal Studios. This story is not written for monetary gain.

**Story Summary**

Goren and Eames are in the tenth year of their partnership. Bobby forgets an important marriage anniversary and Alex wonders how he could have forgotten and why he is behaving so suspiciously. Is there something his wife needs to know? The answers will surprise you and Alex.

**Authors Note: I was so elated that CI was renewed that I decided to take a break from the stories that I was working on and write a brand new story to commemorate the renewal and this is it. This story was supposed to be a long one shot, instead it expanded into several chapters as I added more detail and other elements. **

**Congratulations to everyone who just graduated from college. I happen to think college is one of the most worthwhile experiences in life.**

**The last thing I want to do is shamelessly promote my stories, but I am going to for this one because it is the first ever CI interactive story and I want to promote it as much as possible to get a good group of contributors going. If you want to find out more and see a summary of "In Hiding" please visit my profile page. **

**Chapter 1: Suspicious Behavior**

It was 4:48pm on a Saturday at the Major Case Squad on the eleventh floor of One Police Plaza. Even ten minutes before the shift was over on a Saturday, the detectives were busy at their very old fashioned rectangular desks chasing down leads and connecting the dots. Officers and support personnel were busy as well doing their various jobs and assisting the detectives when needed. Captain Ross was in his office clutching a telephone receiver in his right hand and looking flushed and angry as he aimlessly jabbed at various papers on his desk. He was probably on the phone with the Brass undoubtedly about some case that was not being solved fast enough for the Brass' liking.

Detective Alex Eames was the only person in the bullpen who seemed to be all done for the day and taking it easy. Her desk was clear, her laptop was closed, and she had her chair pulled away from her desk while she absentmindedly sipped a Starbucks cup of mocha latte. She was at the moment completely engrossed in the delicate work being performed by her partner's agile fingers as he created a complicated golden bow on a red gift wrapped box sitting on his desk, using only a piece of one inch wide wire edged ribbon which had been completely flat a few minutes ago. After ten years of being Bobby Goren's partner Alex noted yet again that he continued to amaze her. First of all she had no idea where he learned to make a huge fluffy ribbon bow that would make a crafting housewife proud. She supposed part of it could be attributed to his marriage. Before Bobby got married it wasn't likely that ribbon or gift wrap could be found in his apartment. Once he gave Alex a gift wrapped in newspaper. She was inclined to take it as a sign of indifference but he explained that people always talked about bachelors wrapping gifts in newspaper so he was fulfilling a cultural myth so to speak. Right now what amazed her more than the huge bow was why after all these years he decided to buy a gift for a woman he had dated for a short time ten years ago. Of course he had a good explanation for it, and she was such a sucker for his antics she bought the logic of it hook line and sinker. Three days ago he had been up to the Chief's office delivering paperwork…

"All done" he announced breaking into her reverie.

"So, explain to me again why you bought a gift for Denise ten years after you two broke up?" she said curiously with a hint of something else behind it.

"I told you Eames, it's her birthday" he said in a tone that betrayed a slight exasperation at having to repeat himself when the concept of birthdays and gift giving was so simple.

Alex responded to his tone as well as his words: "You didn't get a gift for her last nine birthdays genius, why now?"

"I told you already, she just ended a five month relationship and she is feeling a little depressed from what I could tell. I am just trying to cheer her up, bring up her self-esteem."

Alex pulled her chair up to her desk and dumped her empty coffee cup in the trashcan under the desk. She leaned toward Bobby as far as she could so they could speak somewhat confidentially without being overheard by most of the squad. Bobby understood the implications of her sudden move toward him and immediately gave her all his attention. "That's very noble of you Bobby. But if you can see this from a woman's perspective for a second… Your wife knows you are all of a sudden buying a birthday gift for an ex-girlfriend that you broke up with ten years ago. If she didn't know you any better she might think that you might be … feeling the itch… dusting off the old address book. I may be too close to the situation to be objective, but I think it's not Denise's self-esteem you should be thinking about" she said conclusively.

The rumors around the office many years ago had been that Bobby asked Denise out for a casual date now and again even after they were officially broken up. Alex never took rumors seriously. She had never asked him about it because his love life was none of her business and he extended her the same courtesy until they became friends over the years. But some of the female employees of the NYPD were a lot less ethical. Apparently the story was that Denise really liked Bobby but it was clear from the beginning that they couldn't have a future together because they were just too different in their interests. She liked Britney Spears he liked Mozart and so forth. But still she liked to spend time with him. Alex would be the first to attest that Bobby was not only very charming but a lot of fun when he wasn't in a bad mood. Of course the rumors had dwindled and then stopped around the time that rumors had popped up that he was sleeping with his partner which Alex would say was right about the time she came back from maternity leave. Those rumors had persisted until he started wearing the wedding ring.

Despite past rumors Alex never joked with Bobby about him having an affair. In fact the subject was so sensitive for him that she never uttered that phrase around him unless it was in relation to a case. She knew that no matter what anyone else thought about his attributes as a model husband and father, he always felt that if he wasn't eternally vigilant he might degenerate into a copy of his unfaithful bastard of a father who cheated on his mother constantly, neglected his children and eventually abandoned them all almost completely. She momentarily thought of Brady and realized that as bad as it was it could have been so much worse for Bobby.

Bobby knew that she was only joking with him but she could feel the effects of her words on him in the measured tones of his response to her jesting: "My wife is very confident in her considerable charms as a woman and in our marriage. She is not jealous because she knows she has nothing to worry about" he said quietly but firmly, his unwavering gaze almost boring into hers as he looked earnestly into her eyes.

"Lucky her" she retorted casually.

"No, Eames I am the lucky one. She has my whole heart." He said it sotto voce so that only she could hear it.

Alex pulled back from her conspiratorial lean toward him and said: "Oh god now you're getting sweeter than my coffee."

"So much for the truth" he mumbled dejectedly.

"So what did you get for her?"

"Eames you know what I got for her, it's a red scarf. Why are you asking me after you already saw it?"

"I am just trying to needle you" she said calmly.

"It's working."

"So what are your plans for tonight?" He gave her a surprised somewhat dismayed expression. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't ask."

"Oh you found out? Okay if you want to work on the Shelby with me and Lewis you're welcome to come along."

Now Alex was completely dumbfounded. "You're working on the Shelby with Lewis _tonight_?"

"Yea why? Did you want me to take you out for a margarita?"

Alex offered no reply to his question.

Bobby inferred from her silence that her answer was an affirmative. "Look Eames I know being married with the kids and all doesn't leave much time for you and me to go out like we used to. I am sorry, I really am. I am trying to make it work the best way I know how. I wish I could do better. Truth is I promised Lewis tonight but if I had known you wanted to go out I wouldn't have promised."

Oh God she didn't want to make him feel guilty. He still felt like he had to atone for his good fortune in finally having the family that he wanted. He tried so hard to be a model husband and father. "Look …just never mind…stop giving me the self effacing speech okay? You're a great father, your kids adore you and you're the best husband that I know of and I happen to know a number of good husbands. But between this and the young very pretty babysitter who has a major crush on you, I don't know what to think" she added mischievously to lighten the mood.

"You think that girl Sarah has a crush on me?" Now he was the one who seemed perplexed.

"That's the word on women's news daily. You probably never noticed it because you think of every woman under thirty as a girl."

"She is a bright young … woman and she says she is considering criminal justice or criminology as a major. It makes sense that she would want to talk to a detective."

"Uh huh and you're just" handsome, charming, still really cute at 50, looking at least ten years younger, I could go on for a few hours here but I better get back to finishing this sentence before he starts to think I am about to say something bad "there."

"Exactly, now come on Eames why are you giving me such a hard time today? Something wrong? Was I tapping the desk with the pen again?"

"No it just seems like you have Lewis and I am all alone" she said melodramatically.

"Why don't you come with me? At least Lewis won't hit on you now that he's happily married. You're the perfect size to fit under the undercarriage" he joked.

"As good as a night on the floor sounds, I think I'll pass. Just take these and your present and leave me in peace for a few minutes" she said handing him a stack of paperwork that needed to go to Denise.

As he walked away Alex knew that in fact he had forgotten something. Today was the anniversary of the first date that led to his marriage and he always celebrated it with something big. But it seemed that he had completely forgotten it was today. How could he have forgotten something that she knew was so important to him? She tried to think if there had been anything for him at work lately that was particularly emotionally trying. They had definitely been busy, but as far as emotionally trying she decided it was no more than the usual. So work couldn't be the reason. She decided that perhaps the logical, reasonable thing to do was to remind him so he didn't walk into a minefield later on. He still had time to make reservations at a decent restaurant, buy flowers, perhaps even a gift. It was only five o'clock after all, most malls were open until 9pm these days. Yes, that's what she would do, a little embarrassment at forgetting would be a lot less trying than anger and guilt later when he realized he forgot and there was nothing he could do about it. She heard a cell phone vibrating on the desk, picked it up automatically and flipped it open. When she looked at the screen she realized it was Bobby's cell phone. It was too late to hang up on the caller, so she answered "Eames" in her most professional tone.

"_Alex is that you?" _The woman's voice sounded raspy and afraid as if she had been caught doing something wrong.

Alex didn't recognize the voice probably because it was so distorted from the sudden emotions of the caller. Alex listened as the caller cleared her throat to cover up the pause she was taking to collect her thoughts. Smart woman she thought. "I am sorry who is this?" she asked with a deliberate note of confusion in her voice.

"_Alex, it's me Catherine…Fairchild." _Now Alex easily recognized the unmistakable confidence in the woman's voice. But her detective sense told her it was still a little shaky. _"I am sorry I must have made a mistake, I thought I was calling Bobby." _

"Well hello Catherine" Alex said in an overly sweet voice. "You called the right number this is Bobby's cell phone. He had to run an errand and left it on his desk" she said confidently.

"Oh okay. I was just calling to tell Bobby that … Professor Terence Tao is scheduled to give his prime numbers lecture at Columbia. After what's happened at other universities the organizers decided to make people get tickets in advance for his lecture so there is no chaos on the day of the lecture. If Bobby can make it, just ask him to call me back I'll get him a ticket."

"I will" Alex said but the detective in her knew for a fact that the exciting world of prime numbers was not the reason Catherine had called just now. I guess I was wrong about the anniversary after all, today is really Robert Goren ex-girlfriend day she thought. Alex couldn't help but recall Bobby mentioning that Catherine was having a conflict with her husband because he had been offered a tenured position at UC Berkeley which was better than his current job. He had tried to persuade her to move because with her credentials she could get a position at any university, whereas he wasn't so lucky. But she didn't want to move to California. She doesn't want to be too far away from Bobby said the devil on her shoulder before Alex silenced her.

But unfortunately, the call had caused Alex to change her mind about reminding Bobby about the anniversary. She imagined Bobby coming home at the end of the night a little tired from working on the car with Lewis for hours. She couldn't decide if he would be getting the sad, disappointed treatment or the quick angry words coupled with a swift kick in the shin, for forgetting the anniversary. But then he might feel so guilty that whatever he did to make up for forgetting would be even better than what he originally would have planned. Yep, being married to Bobby Goren was a blessing in so many ways. She wistfully regretted that he had spent so many years alone with an ever present undercurrent of unhappiness coursing through him before he found that someone who amazingly made everything click into place for him. She couldn't imagine how she had done it, but there it was. She supposed that part of that good fortune had to do with timing. Bobby had finally been willing to open himself up to a lasting relationship with a woman after his mother, the source of so much of his anxiety and the recipient of most of his personal attention, had passed away. Alex decided that she would remind him about the anniversary after all, because truly it was a day that deserved to be celebrated. The phone rang on Bobby's desk. Alex got out of her chair reached across the desks and picked it up. "Eames"

"_Detective Alex"_ said a familiar voice that seemed either really excited or perhaps a little tipsy. She decided that there was something wrong with her today because everyone she talked to on the phone was sounding a little funny. But unlike Catherine, Lewis didn't sound afraid or hesitant. _"I am looking for Bobby."_

"Sorry Lewis, Bobby went to run an errand. He left his cell phone too."

"_I am not surprised that's why I always call him here. Can you tell him Mattie is making his favorite chicken fricassee tonight?"_ Great yet another Bobby Goren fan Alex thought. _"He's coming over to work on the Shelby with me tonight did he tell you?"_

"Yea he did."

"_You should come along we could use your help. You know Bobby, he's always happier when you're around. He'll probably start showing off his car tinkering skills if you're watching. It'll be fun. I have light beer."_

"Thanks Lewis for the compliments and the bribes, but I'll just give you guys a chance to do whatever it is guys do when women are not around. Say "Hi" to Mattie for me."

"_Will do. Bye Detective Alex"_ he said teasing.

Bobby appeared in the bullpen just as Alex was hanging up the phone. He had changed from his black suit into a pair of worn blue jeans and a black long sleeved tee shirt. The woman in Alex was sharply reminded why he had so many fans. He was still smiling with a playful expression on his face. Normally she loved to see him smile, but not right now. Something in Alex's expression must have told him now was not the time to look happy, so he quickly closed his mouth. "Denise say something funny?" she asked irritated.

"Just lawyer jokes" he muttered quietly "Her ex was a lawyer."

When her scowl didn't brighten he tried to change the subject. "Who was that on the phone?"

She thought about telling him it was one of her hunky pretty boy ex-boyfriends but thought better of it. Besides it would only make her sound pathetic dredging so far into her past since it had been more than eight years since she had a pretty boy boyfriend. "Lewis, he told me to tell you Mattie is making your favorite chicken fricassee."

He tried not to look happy because he knew somehow that would piss her off more. He was sure she was pissed off because…

"Catherine Fairchild called on your cell. I thought it was my cell so I picked it up." She watched his reaction like a hawk and saw him look stunned and then panicked. It happened in the blink of an eye and anyone but Alex would have surely missed it. Now he was trying nonchalance but he knew that she could see right through his masks by now so he panicked more.

"What did she say?"

She had to give him an A for effort, to anyone else he would have sounded curious but indifferent. "She said she will get you a ticket for a prime numbers lecture if you want to go."

He quietly let out the breath he had been holding "Oh yeah Professor Tao's work on prime numbers is amazing. Did you know…"

"I am sure you can tell me all about it after the lecture. Why don't you call Catherine back and tell her you're going before the math geeks fill up the seats?"

He looked at the slim black cell phone like it was a live grenade. "I'll do it later. Let's go."

As they rode the elevator down to the parking level in silence, Alex wondered once again what was going on between Catherine and Bobby. There is one obvious possibility said the devil on her shoulder. It would explain why he forgot the anniversary, and why Catherine sounded strange like she had been caught in the act. She suddenly remembered that he had gotten a call from a flower shop about a week ago. He told her it was roses for his mother's grave. She knew deep down where her woman's intuition rested that Catherine had feelings for Bobby. If it wasn't for the age difference between them she would have fought to marry him. As for Bobby he told her that he didn't have feelings for Catherine anymore several years ago when he was still single. She believed him then. The bottom line was that she knew in her heart that Bobby was not the kind of man who would be unfaithful and walk out on his family. That pretty much ended the discussion. With the obvious explanation discarded there had to be another one and she figured that in time she would find out about it. After ten years and some horrible events in both of their lives, Bobby had no secrets from her anymore.

Alex slid easily behind the wheel of Bobby's new much more fuel efficient SUV. In an era of ridiculously high gas prices, serious environmental concerns and the move toward hybrids, the fact that they were carpooling to and from work made the dreaded SUV more environmentally conscious not to mention wallet friendly. He sat beside her on the passenger side and she drove toward her home.

Thirty minutes later Bobby watched from behind the wheel of the SUV as Alex unlocked the door of the house and slipped inside. He was too far away to hear but he could imagine the sounds of the locks clicking into place in the door frame as she locked the door behind her. He started the car and drove away. When he had reached the end of the block he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Catherine's number. "Cathie it's Bobby."

"_Bobby, I called you earlier Alex answered the phone. She doesn't suspect anything does she?"_ she said hesitantly clearly afraid of what the answer to her question might be.

"No, she doesn't. But we have been really careful."

"_I guess being a detective really comes in handy. Greg left this morning for the conference. He won't be home until Tuesday morning." _

"At least you won't be all alone while he's gone."

"_I am driving into the city right now. So when and where are we meeting tonight?"_

"Puppets Jazz Bar at seven. Sound good?"

"_Sounds great. I pulled out my best red cocktail dress, the one that's too risqué for university parties. I can't wait."_

"I can't wait either. You remembered red is my favorite color, see you in a bit." With that he ended the call and smiled mischievously. Now all he had to do was call Lewis. Too bad he wouldn't be eating Mattie's delicious chicken fricassee tonight, but other more exquisite treats waited for him tonight. He thought of chocolate fondue and strawberries and the woman who was wild for chocolate covered treats. With any luck he would be getting lucky tonight in a big way. He could always work in the garage next week. Lewis was considered one of the best car restorers in the city and because of that he always had more projects than he could handle. It was also good cover for him if he needed to lie to his wife about where he was and he had been doing that a lot recently. As he dialed Lewis' number Bobby thought about all the guys who got a strange excitement from keeping secrets from their wives. He always thought it was a little perverse, but now he understood the draw firsthand.

"_Hello."_

"Lewis, it's Bobby."

TBC...

**Author's Note: Chapter 1 does end on a suspenseful note, so I would appreciate reviews that include your guesses on what is going on and what will happen. I will post Chapter 2 next week to give my wonderful readers a chance to post their guesses. I would love to get some irate reviews from the B/A shippers in particular. **


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